• Source:JND
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Even as Rahul Gandhi this time dodged the Amethi seat to contest another family bastion Raebareli, debate is rife that the grand old party was still mighty in Rahul’s erstwhile constituency. In dialogue with the locals, it was ascertained that all that matters in Amethi was the name of the political party and there was still a plethora of people supporting the hand symbol.

In a turn of events, this is the first occasion in 25 years that the Congress has fielded a non-family member from Amethi's seat. After hanging fire for months, the grand old party announced Kishori Lal Sharma as its candidate for this seat hours before the nomination deadline. Earlier, in an established practice, Sonia Gandhi used to contest from Raebareli while Rahul Gandhi was the party’s pick from Raebareli.

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This time, there was dubiety over selecting candidates for these seats as Sonia Gandhi opted for a Rajya Sabha seat. However, Rahul Gandhi chose Raebareli and Kishori Lal Sharma, a confidant of the Gandhi family, was fielded from Amethi against BJP’s Smriti Irani.

The issue of Rahul Gandhi dodging Amethi initially created an uproar but people say there was no discussion about it now. Moreover, people talk about projects like HAL, BHEL, and Vespa, which the Congress gave to the area.

Jagran.com interacted with many people and sought their opinions over the high-stakes battle in Amethi. Mohammad Tabish, Chakrapani Mishra, and Indresh Kumar debating the politics of Amethi in Gauriganj, stated there was no issue against Kishori Lal (Congress candidate). His years of public engagement speak for his work and anyone can easily approach him. They said the Congress had entangled the BJP in its strategy and the election won't be one-sided.  

In Amethi, Union Minister Smriti Irani is contesting the elections to secure a consecutive victory, making this seat a matter of prestige for the BJP. BJP members have their assertions. Gauriganj in-charge Kripashankar Mishra and coordinator Umesh Pratap Singh Munna state, "Didi (Smriti Irani) has worked hard over the past five years. During her tenure, work has been done on stadiums, cricket academies, swimming pools, bypasses, and roads." They also mention that Irani has been actively engaged in Amethi for more than two months and has completed a tour of the entire parliamentary constituency once. The benefits of her activism will be evident.

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In 2019, Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi with 55,120 votes, capturing the traditional Congress seat for the BJP. This time the Congress has fielded Kishori Lal Sharma from here. Sharma has been active in the Amethi and Raebareli area for the last 40 years.

The roles of two royal families also play a crucial role in the politics of Amethi in every election.